Vol. 6, Issue 1, Part A (2024)

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a disease chiefly involving deterioration of articular cartilage, which leads to gradual development of pain, stiffness, and loss of motion in weight bearing joints. Among the weight bearing joints knee joints are affected most. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation could be more effective in subjects with knee osteoarthritis in reducing pain and disability than that of therapeutic ultrasound when added over the isometric quadriceps exercise. 
Objectives: To compare the effectiveness of TENS to therapeutic Ultrasound when both were added over the isometric quadriceps exercise in subjects with knee osteoarthritis. 
Methods: This four-week study conducted on 30 patients with knee osteoarthritis. These subjects were divided in to two groups of 15 each. The group-A received TENS and isometric quadriceps exercise, Group-B received therapeutic ultrasound and isometric quadriceps exercise. 
Results: There was significant difference between pre and post intervention level of pain in Group-A and Group-B with respective t-values of 7.049 (p<0.001) and 10.102 (p<0.001). There was a significant difference between pre and post intervention levels of disability index in group-A and group-B with respective t- values of 7.531 (p<0.001) and 6.259 (p<0.001). The inter group analysis with unpaired t-test showed significant difference in mean values of difference in pain between group-A and group-B with t-values of 3.565 (p<0.01). The unpaired t-test showed significant difference in mean values of difference in disability index between group-A and group-B with t-values of 3.465 (p<0.01). 
Conclusion: The study showed that with common intervention of isometric quadriceps exercise for both the groups; significant reductions were seen in pain and disability in subjects with knee osteoarthritis after four weeks of intervention with TENS than that of therapeutic ultrasound.